Hello,

I was just wondering what your thoughts were on the differences in rules between the American version and European version of the game.  In regards to these rules:

1) In case of equal ranks in an attack:

a) both pieces are lost (European) and
b) attacking piece wins (American). 

2) Regarding the Scouts...

a) Scout may move any number of open spaces but - must be adjacent to attack (European) and
b) Scout may move any number of open spaces and attack from afar (American). 

I much prefer the American rules (not because I'm American).  My reasoning is thus: In the case of the first rule, I've noticed and utilized a technique which may be considered cowardly, but is nonetheless viable according to the European rule.  Early in the game it will become inevitable that a high ranking officer (Marshal, General or Colonel) must become involved in the fighting.  A wiser player will usually try to keep his Marshal and General's identity hidden for as long as possible so as to deter unwanted attention.  Thus, a Colonel will usually step forward (I usually spread the field with my Colonels anyway - to exploit their strength).  This makes sense because the Colonel will usually take command of any skirmish that is occurring because of his high rank.  However, my experience has been that if one can sneak his General to the front line, where a Colonel has perhaps quelled an uprising or is in the process, and then attack - thus winning the Colonel (a frequent occurrence in my experience because a weaker player will not worry much if he loses one because he has another - and does not fear because of the Colonel's rank).  The game is essentially over at that point if the European rules are employed.  If I can accomplish winning one Colonel, my task is then to simply trade my Marshal, General and one Colonel when I discover the whereabouts of his.  This leaves me with an unstoppable high-ranking officer.  From there, my officer (sometimes it goes all the way to the Major) becomes "the gatekeeper" and will let no enemy piece pass (since he has nothing to fear from any moving piece.  Meanwhile I mount a very slow and heavily armed attack since I have all the time in the world because his forces may not enter my territory unless they move very quickly (not usually possible for a multi-piece attack).  I've even experienced situations where I retain a Colonel and two Majors as high officers on the field, leaving my opponent with nothing higher than a Captain.  At which point I simply post one officer at each entrance where it becomes impossible to pass.  Although this situation is still theoretically possible when employing the American rule - it is much less likely to occur,  whereas, it kind of becomes the strategic point of the game if the European rule is employed.

As far as the Scout rule goes, I prefer the American rule because it makes the Scout much more dangerous.  Let's face it - the Scouts are basically cannon fodder as it is.  Their only hope of glory and survival (if the European rule is used) is obtaining the Spy or enemy Flag. (Which becomes much easier - and increases their threat -  if they may attack from afar.)  Short of that, they hope to die on Bombs.  And if they must stop short and wait to attack, they are usually the victim of a bloodthirsty Sergeant or Miner who attempts to avert his on the field mediocrity by pushing around one of the few pieces he can - and in the process protect the object of the Scout's probe. 

I grew up playing the American rules (on wood pieces I might add - I still like them the best, despite their disadvantages) and later learned the European rules - and used them because I thought I had been playing "incorrectly" all along. (I learned to play before I could even read.)  The "technique" I have mentioned was not discovered until I started using the European rules - which seemed fair at the time.  These instances of victory through trading may only have occurred because I was playing weak opponents who did not understand the strategy of the game.  Perhaps this "flaw" would not be a problem against a strong opponent. I don't know - I haven't played anyone who is better than me since I was 7. (Not a boast - just a testament to the lack of interest in strategy games in the area I grew up in.) 

Anyway - I like your website very much - the Stratego history was very enlightening.  I might like to learn who invented the game and if it was based on an already existing game or past game etc.  Oh, and I totally agree about Hasbro's boneheaded edition - on both points:  the game was already cheesified enough by the previous edition's oversimplification of the piece faces - they didn't need to make stickers - which won't last, and the reversal of rank number not only causes confusion between editions but does not reflect military rank order: There is no highest number, first is first, second is second, and so on. Boo to Hasbro, but kudos to your website and devotion to the game.

Keith D. Ayen

P.S. Is it just me, or is the Sergeant the most pathetically worthless piece in the game? If you know of another use for him besides a decoy, I'd be happy to hear it.

I just stumbled on your website....I love it, especially the history and the photos.

I've been playing Stratego for years....but haven't played in a long time because it's just too difficult to find other players.

Do you know where I can play against other players online?  Is the CD ROM version is any good?

Thanks.

Anthony

We developed a new Stratego site, where anyone can play free (it was developed as a final project in Java & Internet course). While searching for Stratego sites, we found your excellent informative website and we wanted your permission to let us add a link to your Stratego Rules from our Home Page (while clicking the 'Rules' button we will redirect to your site). Moreover, we would add your site to the our link's list.

Our website address: http://www2.mta.ac.il/stratego_net

Regards,
nir end efrat

Thought you might be interested in an online Stratego clone that's pretty fun.  It seems to incorporate some of the variations in rules you listed on your website.  Playing this game created my interest the original Stratego, which I have never played - that's how I ended up on your website! It's on a site called ItsYourTurn.com.  Here's a quick link to the game listings: 

http://www.itsyourturn.com/iyt.dll/rules?type=99

The Stratego clone is called Sabotage and they have their standard version plus two variants.  Here's their blurb about it: 

Sabotage - A Stratego(tm) clone with some twists. We think it's much better than the original. Please read the rules carefully-- this is NOT your father's Stratego(tm). (Stratego is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc.)

I guess it's going to be up to each player's subjective experience whether or not it actually is "much better than the original." :)  Never having played the original I can't say, but this online version has turned out to be quite fun and challenging.

Linda

Edzo II

The interesting thing is the game design. I noticed that in both US and UK versions, regardless of piece shape, the board and the pieces are rendered with a lot of detail in the drawings. And the board is drawn with a somehow naturalistic touch, grass, river, the two lagoons at the center of the board. All in early-to-mid-1800 military fashion.

The local version design is most simple. I would say, almost synthetic and abstract. The board is just a grid of colored squares over a plain dark background. The color of the squares changes by row, ranging from deep red to light orange for the red side, and from indigo to light blue for the other five rows. The lagoons are just two solid 2x2 blocks, yellow, with Yetem's logo in them, one straight and the other reversed.

The pieces are very different. They are plain cylinders made out of plastic, out of which a diagonal slice has been removed from one side, leaving a flat surface for placing a decal (yuck!) with the rank of the piece. The ranks are not rendered as faces with helmets, but instead with simple icons resembling rank markings in a very simple way. For instance, the Miner (called "cabo armero" [corporal engineer, or so]) is represented by three vertical strips. The Scout ("soldado", private) is only two of those strips. The lieutenant begins the officer rank, and so its icon is an upside-down triangle. All superseding ranks get an additional horizontal bar over that triangle, until the general (two triangles side by side with a vertical bar overlapping in between) and the Marshal ("teniente general", which means lieutenant general here, would you believe these guys having such ignorance of rank order?), which is two triangles between two horizontal bars. The Bomb is a 6-point star with a circle inside, the Flag ("estandarte") closely resembles the BMW logo. The spy is the most intriguing design, a solid bar over a hollow "u" with a protrusion on its inside, a very synthesized rendition of an eye, you would think.

I would like to send you a picture for your gallery, but my neighborhood flooded a month ago; 30 inches of water gushed into my home and all my board games were ruined, including good ol' COMBATE EN EL FRENTE. I may purchase the U.S. Stratego for a replacement, who knows.

I don't think there are any differences in the rules. If I find any (I still haven't checked it out) I will tell you. There is always some arguing about the Spy being able to take out the Marshal only if it is the attacking, not attacked, piece. Maybe you have that too.

So, that's that. I just wanted you to know how far the game has spread.

Good luck, and I hope your website keeps improving!

Alex
(from Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Cliff Peshek

I was looking for some information concerning the rules for STRATEGO since I found the game that I used to play in 1960 or so.  I could not detect my game amongst all the various shapes presented in the history pages. My game consists of two paper containers, displaying the red Flag to the left and the blue one to the right, on top of the two containers - between the Flags is an area covered with transparent plastic trough which you can see some of the wooden pieces. Those wooden pieces inside looks exactly like the ones you presented in the picture about wooden pieces from 1961-62. The reverse side of the containers show all the ranks in English and (I believe) the German language, together with pictures of everyone printed in white on a black background. The game board is very colorful, with trees all around it and the two ponds framed by something that looks like a desert area. On one side two trees stand alone just above one of the ponds and on the opposite side of the same pond, to the left trees are stretching out towards the pond. One side of the two ponds displays a lot of trees and the other one just a few. On both sides the gameboard carries a stylized elephant with the word "JUMBO" at the centre. Underneath "STRATEGO" is printed in yellow on a darkgreen fond, surrounded by a yellow oval frame. Underneath the "STRATEGO" print - in very small letters - you can read: "Wettig ged. - Marque dép. - Gesetzl gesch. Regd 77543 - 209823 - 778395". The reversed side of the board is dark green. The bottom part of the gamebox is still around, but I wonder what happened to the lid - think the lid was covered with a picture of all the glorious warriors in full battledress.....

My friend and I played this game for hours when we attended the first nine grades in the Swedish school system, and I remember I was making drawings and plans of different strategies during the lessons. Could my STRATEGO be originating from somewhere around 1960 or so even though the gameboard does not match any of the pictures seen in the history pages? Below are pictures of this great game - everything is still there, except the lid of the box. To tell you the truth, I brought it forward in an attempt to convince my wife to have a nice game of STRATEGO.

Karl Rosberg, Sweden

Does anyone have any information on the game below? Feel free to reply here to the message board or directly to Karl.

Click on each image below for a larger and more detailed view

Your website is the best! It told me a lot of tips and strategy that might help me beat my dad. Stratego is the best. I liked your history section. I liked the pics. Thanks a lot.

Electriceye

Here are two pictures of an (very) old Stratego game. I guess it's from the early fifties!

Greetings from Luc Adriaansen
Webmaster of the Napoleon site which now is appearing in English.

http://members.brabant.chello.nl/~l.adriaansen/index.html

Anonymous

I wrote a program to calculate the code for the Accolade Stratego program (IBM only) based upon the original program code wheel algorithms.  Would you like a copy?

Anonymous

I'm a user of the under appreciated Macintosh computer, so I am unable to download most of the Stratego software out there other than Stratega.  I was wondering if you know if the Web-based Stratego games are ever going to come out for Mac, or if there is a website where us Mac users can play Stratega, which I have been unable to find.  Thanks for your help.

A fellow Stratego fan,
Wesley Holl

Does anyone else have any information for Wes?

Awesome web page! Keep up the good work. I have learned a lot from your strategies and tips. I can't wait to try a few of them out on my unwitting opponents.

I have been playing Stratego since I was about six years old, and although I don't pretend to know as much as some people about the game, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. Here are four strategies I think you might be interested in. I hope you find these strategies helpful.

Philip van Dijk

I would like to play a game of Stratego at home, with my computer. This is an iMac (OS 8.5.1). I've searched the Internet to get a copy, but the only thing I found was 'Stratega', an Internet version of the game. Who can help me to a site where I can download a Stratego game, just for me and my iMac.

Lots of thanks!

Erik van den Assem, Dordrecht, Nederland

Does anyone else have any information for Erik? - Ed

Norman Nithman

I don't have any information for Norman. Can anyone else answer his question? - Ed

Does anyone have a link to a good computer Stratego game?  I bought the Hasbro version and I was so disappointed.  I don't think anyone over the age of seven could possibly lose to it even on its highest level.

Thanks.

Joe

B
7 B
B 7 B
F B 7 B

Anonymous

While it's a good idea to surround your Flag with Bombs, sometimes it's just as effective as faking that your Flag is a Bomb.  I've fooled people into thinking that my Flag was in a corner for quite some time, when in reality I surrounded a Scout with Bombs (because nothing says "my Flag is right here!" like a cluster of Bombs) while my Flag was up behind one of the lakes. 

Also, if you're playing in an environment where you can see the order of the pieces put down, often your opponent will place their Flag down first, and then usually surround it with Bombs, or high-ranking officers.  Thus, you may know immediately where their Flag is. (Be careful not to blab that you know) But by the same token you can fall victim to this tactic as well.  So what I like to do is put a Scout down in the corner first, surround it by Bombs, and put my General or Marshal near it.  On the same side (after placing down several other pieces) I then put the Flag down near the lake and I can fake defending the Scout while really protecting the Flag.  You can use the lake as a figurative "side of the board" and put Bombs in a triangle shaped pattern around it like you would at the side of the board, and they would be none the wiser because they will think the Bombs are the normal Bombs you would put near your front to help you resist an attack. (Speaking of which is that I usually put them in the second row so they won't be discovered by Scouts first off.)

Not all of your moves need accomplish something.  Sometimes it's good to move many pieces around in a figure eight and confuse the opponent.  This is also a good way to make them forget about Bomb locations and such... but be careful not to milk it, for if they see through it they will ignore it and focus on playing the game again. 

It's not bad to keep a poker face either. If you start sweating bullets while he's getting close to your Flag, you will give it away. He might just turn away if you can distract him with your Marshal or General.

When you are attacked by say your opponent's General, if you opponent doesn't know where your Marshal is, you could make an advance at him with, for example, a Sergeant, and he will likely back off.

And last but not least, make sure you play in good lighting!  Sometimes, in poor lighting your opponent can make out the circular shadows of Bombs, and make them our from the rectangular shadows of all the other pieces. 

Dom

This is a GREAT website.  Stratego was one of my favorite games as a kid and I still have all of the wooden pieces from the original set that I got for Christmas one year.

Another problem with the wooden pieces was that the images of the faces begin to where away with time and use. 

Just wanted to let you know that I appreciated the trouble you went to to put this site together.

Frank McAndrew

Hello Ed,

I came by your Stratego site in search of where I could still buy the game of L.Attaque. Can you help?

Unfortunately, my current set is over forty years old and some of the pieces are stained so that once revealed they are easy to track.

Thanks in anticipation.

Eric Westbrook

Sorry Eric, I have no idea where to look. Does anyone else know where one could pick up a copy of this game? - Ed

It's great to see people are still interested in this great game!

I was looking at the piece setups in your website. Without meaning to offend anyone, I completely disagree with the conservative placements in all of them. When I first started playing Stratego, I recall myself using such conservative designs, surrounding my Flag with Bombs and packing the area with my strongest troops. However, this doesn't work out too well. As I played more, I realized a more offensive strategy was the one that worked for me. Being that my setup is so different than all of them, I just felt like sending it to you. Feel free to put it in your website if you like it.

One more thing... whenever I play with my friends, we try our best to capture each other's Flag with our Spy. There's just something about this piece that makes it so humiliating for the losing side if its Flag is captured by a Spy.

Semper fidelis,

Philip Atzemoglou  

Are there any Stratego competitions in the US?  This game is the best board game ever created.  I was wondering if it could be played competitively.  Thanks.

Will

Hi Ed,

I enjoyed your website but would like to see your history of Stratego updated (or back-dated) to include the game's earlier incarnation as L'attaque.

Devised in France and featuring British and French forces, it was the version I played at school, on a post Second World War board by H P Gibson & Sons Ltd. According to Caroline Goodfellow, in A Collector's Guide To Games and Puzzles, this game owed much to the pre First World War Transports published by Mead & Field Ltd of London which itself borrowed from earlier games. It just shows that most of the best games have a long history, and then as now, a patent is no proof of originality.

David Lavender

Do you recommend one set of rules over the other?

Thanks again!

Michele

I just wanted to thank you for your great website. My wife and I wanted to sit down and play a game of Stratego. Unfortunately, the version we have was printed in 1961 by MB and doesn't have any rules about equal strength units and what happens when they attack. I hate playing games without knowing the rules and we can now enjoy ourselves. Thanks once again.

PaleHorse76

http://www.angelfire.com/games2/warpspawn/SShogun.html.

Also, a WWII Naval version of Stratego with counter set & map.

http://www.angelfire.com/games2/warpspawn/SWWN.html.

Lloyd Krassner

I was interested to stumble over your fascinating website while searching for L'Attaque, a favourite of mine when I was a boy. I've told my young students about it and they're very keen to put aside the GameBoys and pit their skills against mine. I bought my second L'Attaque in 1974. It's long gone - and now I can't find anyone that sells the game! Surely someone knows where I can buy one? I would be grateful for any help.

All the best.    

Phil

Just visited your Stratego site - great job! Found everything I was looking for.

I grew up in the early '60's playing Stratego with my Dad, nightly. I have fond memories of those evening games which he always let me win. We played on the original wooden version and later the 1962 version which I still have and now use to play with my 9 year old son. Unlike my Dad, I don't let him win, so I've directed him to your website for some tips!

Anyway, my purpose in writing is describe another variation which we've used for years. It stems from an interpretation of the original rules of attack, number 6:

6. The piece with the lower rank is lost and removed from the board. The winning higher ranking piece is then moved immediately into the empty square formerly occupied by the losing piece.

We always interpreted this to mean that when a Scout probed an enemy piece of higher rank, that piece would have to be transported across the board (assuming the Scout struck from a distance - not the adjoining space) to occupy the space from which the Scout had started.

This led to the interesting opportunity to "drag" enemy pieces clear across the board. Thus, an attacking enemy piece about to capture your Flag or kill a high ranking officer could be pulled a safe distance away if your Scout had "line of sight" access to them.

More fun still, is to build a "trap" in the back row middle, consisting of a Scout, flanked by two Bombs. You clear out a row, wait for your enemy's Marshal to appear and "drag" him back between the two Bombs using the Scout you positioned there. If he moves left or right - boom. If he tries to come back out to his own lines, your Spy is positioned to attack him as soon as moves forward a space. I call it the "One Trap" and it should work over and over again until your opponent figures it out.

Anyway, just thought you'd like to hear about this variation. I would certainly be interested in hearing your opinion on this rules interpretation. It makes always made perfect sense to me, but I've never seen nor heard of anyone else using it.

Thanks,

Ed Taylor

Hi Ed,

I really like the website and especially the graphics. I am glad to see someone very devoted to this great game and its history. I never realized the different variety of games and editions.

Keep up the good work.

StrategyStar

Ed,

I happened upon your Stratego site today for the first time - the first of many times to come!  Let me tell you that I, for one, sincerely appreciate all of the time and thought that you have obviously put into making so much terrific information available to all Stratego fans online.  I look forward to spending many hours in the future on your site.  I was an avid chess player years ago until I discovered Stratego, which in my view is the greatest game ever invented. 

I wonder if you might be so good as to help me find the one or two best interactive Stratego game sites on the internet.  I have never played Stratego online or in any format other than the original board game, and I must confess that I have a hard time finding worthy adversaries to play in the board game format.  One last comment I would like to make - I agree 110% with your negative comments about the new reverse numbering of the pieces.  I bought a new board about one year ago and was unpleasantly surprised to discover the new numbering system.  I found that I was converting the new numbers in my head (e.g. "it is a Major so it was a 4 which means that now it is a 7") as though I were in Europe trying to convert some foreign currency into American Dollars. 

I look forward to your response and thank you for your fabulous website. 

Best regards,

Andrew Haskell

For the guy who was looking for Mac friendly online site. The Stratego-Net site

http://donald.mta.ac.il/stratego_net/

or

http://www2.mta.ac.il:8080/~nirelenb/entry.jsp

work with my G4 Powermac.

Mike Rowles

Dear Ed,

I too was born in 1961 and had a similar problem finding people to play.  However, I remember fondly my Stratego World Series events with my good neighbor, Andrew Cohen.  The series usually went 7 games. 

This is the first time I did a Stratego search and I am overwhelmed with the website!  I would like a recommendation on a good software program, or more importantly, how to play someone on the web.  I would say that I am an A player and would love to challenge you sometime.  Do you know of any Stratego clubs, or players in Las Vegas? 

I agree with you, the new board configuration and numbering stink! 

Stu

I'd like to make a couple of comments about the '60s Milton Bradley rules i.e. the higher-ranking piece being moved immediately into the empty square formerly occupied by the losing piece.

I think I must of been playing the game for about a year before I realized that Scouts couldn't move & strike on the same turn. I think that almost everyone that played the Milton Bradley version in the '60s & '70s misinterpreted that rule. I actually kind of like that rule. You can use it as a delaying action to force your opponent to move back to its original square. In fact I wish the Stratego-Net no range attack option would work the same way.

Mike Rowles

Hi Ed,

Here's a tip for Mac users who have the Accolade Stratego game.

You can change the 13 setups in the program with resedit. Since it's possible to do irreparable damage with resedit, always work with a copy.

Start resedit, then open the Stratego executable file from the file menu. Double-click on the SSET icon. You'll see a window with 21 sets listed. ID 0-12 are the 13 setups you can choose from, ID 20-27 are the ones the computer chooses from.

Double-click on ID 0 you'll see five lines of 16 characters. Select all then cut & paste this into a text editor or word processor. It'll look like this...

090609060909070B07040507090602080B000B0A070B08080503080B05010B030904060509080409

this is Cyclone Defense. Put line feeds every 20 characters & it'll look like this:

090609060909070B0704
0507090602080B000B0A
070B08080503080B0501
0B030904060509080409

Each piece is represented by a two digit character. The Flag is 00, the Spy is 0A, Bombs are 0B & the rest are their respective ranks 01 to 09. The back row starts with the 1st character. Then, layout a plan starting with the back row:

09050909050808080B00
0907040904030808040B
05060B090907050B0A03
0B06060706070901020B

Then strip the line feeds & it'll look like this.

09050909050808080B000907040904030808040B05060B090907050B0A030B06060706070901020B

Copy & go back to resedit & paste into ID 0 SSET. To change the setup name double-click on the STR# icon. Then double-click on the STR# ID 100 "setups" and you'll be able to change the names.

Make sure there are the correct number of pieces or else it will crash. You can also change the computer's setups too. Of course, it would be best to have someone else do this for you.

Mike Rowles

July, 2001

Hey there Ed,

First of all, I wanted to say thank you for putting together your Stratego site.  Due to a number of moves after college and a hefty delay while I scanned in the pieces and fixed the numbering of my newest set (ahhhh... #1 is the highest again!), I managed to lose the English set of directions and needed a new set to settle a dispute (since I still can't read Spanish).

I found the history section very interesting, although I wasn't all that impressed with most of the strategies presented under your tips section. All I can say is that I'd clean up playing against most of your readers. I'm considering writing out my strategies, but your website piqued my interest in playing others online and I would like to test a few of the strategies against others first.  I'll keep you updated.

Anyway, the real reason I'm writing is that on your page comparing the two versions of the rules, you state there are two noticeable differences:

1) In the first set of rules it states that: The Scout may not move and strike in the same turn. Under the newer rules, there is no such restriction.

2) The first set of rules read: The piece with the lower rank is lost and removed from the board. The winning higher ranking piece is then moved immediately into the empty square formerly occupied by the losing piece. Under the newer rules, if the winning piece is the one that is struck, that
piece remains in its original square.

But there is actually a significant third difference regarding Scout movement:

Original: 8. The "Scout" may move any number of open squares forward, backward, or sideward in a straight line if the player desires.

New: 6.  Special Scout Privilege: A Scout can move any number of open squares forward, backward, or sideways.

If you notice, under the new rules the "straight line" wording has been removed.  Never having seen the original set of rules, my friends and I have always understood this to mean that a Scout can move from any position on the board to any other, so long as his path is not blocked.  If there is a zig-zag path to the target, the Scout can go there!

Under this interpretation, Scouts become very valuable "smart Bombs" (as in Desert Storm) towards the end of the game in that they can accurately target any other piece not completely surrounded or blocked off by other pieces.  This means that if the Spy and Flag are identified but not protected, an enemy Scout can take them out!  It is not possible to protect your Flag or Spy with just one or two high ranking pieces, you have to have enough pieces to keep the Scouts blocked.

I'd be interested to see if any of your other readers use this interpretation.  Feel free to link my name to my e-mail address.

Also, I'd like to recommend you put dates on the messages on your message board.  It'll be nice to see when people post suggestions and requests for information.

Later,

Daniel O'Toole

July, 2001

Hi Ed,

I was just wondering if you have ever heard of this - When my friend and I used to play Stratego, if someone attacked they would tap the defender's piece with their attacking piece and then pick up the defender's piece, turn it around and look at it (removing it from the board if it was of lower rank or putting it back and removing their attacking piece if it is of higher rank).  Neither player verbally announces any rank.  I think this makes the game more challenging.

By the way, I do agree with you that it is ridiculous that Hasbro reversed the number of the ranks.

Thanks.

Linda

July, 2001

Ed,

Great website!

My name is Anthony and I was wondering if you could confirm something for me. When I was about 16 I had a electronic version of Stratego but not like any of the ones that are listed on your website nor on eBay. With my version when two pieces engaged in battle, each player put their piece in an electronic device that was separate from the board. The board itself was like an ordinary board but the pieces had pegs in the bottom for the electronic brain to determine who defeated whom. I loved this version because the winning rank was not revealed.  I'm starting to wonder if I'm not remembering this correctly but this is how I remember it and it was much bigger than the electronic board I see here. Please help me with this dilemma. I'm starting to think I'm crazy and this never existed.

Thanks.

Ant

July, 2001

Hey man, where is the info about Ultimate Lightning?  It isn't mentioned!  lol...   Please do so as Ultimate Lightning is seen by me and many others on the MSN Gaming Zone to be superior to the classic.  

Thanks!

Alexander Sherzai

August, 2001

Hi Ed,

I like your Stratego website a lot.

First, I agree with you about the 1999 edition with the stick-on labels with little lifetime and the numbers backwards -- very confusing.

I thought this might be of interest to you and other Stratego players. I grew up in Mexico, and when I was a kid I use to play a game called "Estrategia" which is Spanish for "strategy" . This game was exactly the same as Stratego with one very nice difference: The two armies looked different. The game consisted of an army of white soldiers against an army of Indians.  The army of white soldiers looked a lot like the new pieces of Stratego '99 and the Indian army looked awesome, like American Indians with hand made Bombs wrapped in leather and tied with ropes, a rough handmade Flag, etc. I was kind of disappointed to learn the boards up here have two exact same looking armies.

I'll have to check how the new boards in Mexico look these days and who makes them. The board was just a two-fold laminated cardboard with yellow soil and the two ponds. The pieces were plastic orange pieces with stick-on labels, and yes - they all wore off after a while.

Cheers,

Andre

August, 2001

I am a patents librarian and collect patent numbers for well-known games.

I came across your website and was interested in your giving the patent number for Stratego. But 695583 is from 1902 and isn't for a game. I've checked and it is the registered number for the trademark Stratego and not the patent number.

Regards,

Steve van Dulken

Thanks Steve. I've updated the wording to reflect this. - Ed

August, 2001

Hello,

Great Stratego site. I surfed in after looking on eBay for an old version of the game. I originally went to the store to pick up a new version but to my anger (yes anger), I discovered that not only do I have to put the stickers on each piece, but they CHANGED the game! A Marshal being a number 10 ?!?!? Please!

So I'm buying an old version (1970s) the way I remember it... with pieces that will last and the numbers the way they're supposed to be. And it's this old version that I will introduce to my kids! (When I have kids.)

Great website!

Lee

August, 2001

Mr. Collins,  

A fellow gamer and I got together yesterday for a game of Stratego. We used my 1962 set. Before the game began our conversation became almost heated debating which rule set to use. He couldn't remember exactly, but my opponent (who is about 15 years younger than me) apparently learned the game from the 1986 rule set. He finally acquiesced to use my rules, but I told him I knew of your website and would try to find out why we differed so much. And your Rules Section answered all but one question. (Apparently most of our bones of contention were "house rules" he'd been taught thinking they were official.) And here's my main point. At the top of your rules section you state the first set of rules is what "most" (my italics) people had prior to 1986.  Well, apparently I don't fall into the "most" category. (Even though the small photo looked like my box top rules.)  Specifically, my 1962 rules are slightly different as to how the Scout moves. The last sentence you have posted under rule 8, "The Scout may not move and strike in the same turn. " is not in my 1962 rules.  You even state this at the bottom of the page as one of the two main differences in the two rule sets. My question is, are you sure what you have posted is really what the majority of sets said prior to 1986?  In other words, have you heard of this rule being changed back and forth between 1958 and 1985?  By the way, my set has 1962 on the top of the box, and 1961 and 1960 at the bottom of the rules inside the box top.

Michael Ward
Fort Worth, Texas

P.S. After we resolved which rule set to play with, we play-tested the "replacement" variant I sent you last December (which you posted in the Message Board section). It seemed to work well.

See the RULES section again for the explanation... I've updated it. Some sets with rules on the box cover rule state, "The Scout may not move and strike in the same turn." and other box cover rule sets do not. - Ed

SECTION 1

SECTION 5

SECTION 6

SECTION 7

SECTION 8